On Monday 18 September, the EU agriculture ministers showed their vigilance with regard to the costs arising from the directive on soil health and respect for specific national characteristics and prerogatives in this area.
The agriculture ministers discussed the agricultural aspects of the directive on soil health. Their Environment counterparts are negotiating on the issue.
In its July proposal, the Commission envisages, as a first step, that Member States focus on establishing monitoring tools with a view to achieving healthy European soils by 2050 (see EUROPE 13216/4). A system of certification for best practice for soil health could be developed to reward the efforts of farmers who implement these best practices. If the efforts made by the Member States are deemed insufficient, more binding targets could eventually be imposed.
France has asked the Commission for clarification “to better understand the costs of implementation“ (definition and criteria for assessing soil health and sampling methodology). These different parameters will have an impact on the administrative and financial burden generated by the directive. With regard to sustainable soil management, a proportionate approach should be adopted for the different types of soil concerned, and subsidiarity should be left to the Member States, France also felt.
Several countries, including Italy and France, have asked that account be taken of the contributions to soil conservation provided for in the national strategic plans of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and that the text be properly coordinated with existing systems at national level.
Poland has called for a system based on incentives, not sanctions.
In Germany's view, there should be no one-size-fits-all rules on soil diversification. Crop rotation every five years is not the most proportionate measure, according to Germany. National soil monitoring rules must be taken into account, according to this delegation.
Lithuania has suggested that a Europe-wide register of polluted sites should be set up.
For the Czech Republic, the text is not balanced, as it goes further than what is provided for at national level.
The Netherlands stressed the importance of pastures and catch crops, and of taking account of the problem of phosphorus in the soil.
Nature restoration. Finally, Poland has once again criticised the impact of the draft regulation on nature restoration on the agricultural sector. Implementing the regulation as proposed would exclude 4% of the country's arable land from production, explained the Polish minister. Poland was supported in this by Latvia and Finland. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)